With kids · Wellington · New Zealand
Wellington with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Szilas, Public domain
Quick answer
Wellington is easy with children: Te Papa is free and highly interactive, the cable car and Space Place are fun, and Zealandia, the zoo and the waterfront fill a few days. Steep streets and wind are the main challenges, so pack layers and use buses. Top picks: Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington Cable Car and Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne. Families usually base themselves in Lambton Quay and CBD.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 8
- Best area for families
- Lambton Quay and CBD
- Rainy-day options
- 3
Best things to do with kids
Museum · Te Aro
1.Te Papa Tongarewa
The Museum of New Zealand, opened in 1998 on the waterfront, covers Māori and Pacific culture, the country's history, natural history, earthquakes and New Zealand art across six floors. It includes Rongomaraeroa, a contemporary marae, and the general collection is free to enter.
Pick two or three floors rather than trying to see everything; the Māori and nature exhibitions are good starting points.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Rainy day
- Kids
- History
- Art
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Experience · Lambton Quay and CBD
2.Wellington Cable Car
Running since 1902, the red funicular climbs about 120 metres from Lambton Quay to Kelburn in roughly five minutes, ending at a lookout over the city and harbour. A small free museum at the top tells the line's history and displays an original car.
Ride up and walk back down through the Botanic Garden to Thorndon or the CBD.
- Time needed
- 1 hour with the lookout
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Views
- Kids
- History
Nature · Karori
3.Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne
A predator-proof fence encloses a 225-hectare forested valley around old reservoirs, where native species including takahē, kākā, tīeke (saddleback), hihi and tuatara live largely free from introduced predators. Walking tracks lead through regenerating forest, and guided night tours look for little spotted kiwi and glowworms.
Book a guided night tour for the best chance of seeing kiwi; daytime visitors should go early when the birds are most active.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Night tours are small and sell out; book ahead.
- Nature
- Kids
- Outdoors
- After dark
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Zoo · Newtown
4.Wellington Zoo
New Zealand's oldest zoo, founded in 1906 in the suburb of Newtown, keeps native kiwi and kea alongside red pandas, lions and chimpanzees, and has a veterinary hospital where visitors can watch treatments through a window.
Check the daily talk and feeding schedule at the entrance.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
Museum · Kelburn
5.Space Place at Carter Observatory
Next to the top of the Cable Car in the Botanic Garden, this small observatory and planetarium has full-dome shows on the southern sky, interactive exhibits and a historic telescope used for evening viewing sessions when the sky is clear.
Go on a clear evening to look through the telescope as well as seeing a planetarium show.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- After dark
Waterfront · Oriental Bay
6.Waterfront walk to Oriental Bay
A promenade runs about 2 km from Queens Wharf past Frank Kitts Park, the Wellington Writers Walk plaques and Te Papa to Oriental Bay's sandy city beach and diving platform. On calm days locals swim, kayak and jump off the wharves.
Walk it on a calm evening and stop for ice cream or fish and chips at Oriental Bay.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Couples
- Views
Experience · Miramar
7.Wētā Cave and Wētā Workshop tours
In the film suburb of Miramar, the Wētā Workshop's visitor centre has a free mini-museum and shop of props, models and collectibles, while paid guided tours show how the company makes creatures, weapons and costumes for films including The Lord of the Rings.
Book a workshop tour if you are interested in film-making; the free Wētā Cave alone takes only about 20 minutes.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours with a tour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Workshop tours run at set times and fill up; book online.
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Art
Garden · Kelburn
8.Wellington Botanic Garden
Spread over a hillside between Kelburn and Thorndon, the garden combines native forest, exotic trees, playgrounds and the Lady Norwood Rose Garden, which blooms from about November to April. Paths zigzag down from the cable car station with views over the city.
Visit the rose garden in summer, then continue down to Bolton Street Cemetery and Thorndon.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Nature
- Kids
Rainy-day ideas
- Te Papa Tongarewa — Pick two or three floors rather than trying to see everything; the Māori and nature exhibitions are good starting points.
- Space Place at Carter Observatory — Go on a clear evening to look through the telescope as well as seeing a planetarium show.
- Wētā Cave and Wētā Workshop tours — Book a workshop tour if you are interested in film-making; the free Wētā Cave alone takes only about 20 minutes.
Where families should stay
$$$ · Best for first-timers, families and shopping
Lambton Quay and CBD
Lambton Quay runs through the business district from Parliament to the waterfront, with department stores, offices and the lower terminal of the Cable Car. Business hotels here are convenient for the railway station, Queens Wharf ferries and the Wellington Museum, and quieter at night than Te Aro.
- Good
- Close to the station and ferries; Quiet at night; Easy access to the cable car
- Watch out
- Office-district feel at weekends; Fewer evening restaurants
- Nearby
- Wellington Cable Car, Parliament and the Beehive, Wellington Museum, Queens Wharf
Family travel tips
- Te Papa has dedicated children's discovery spaces; check the daily programme at the entrance.
- Ride the cable car up and walk down through the Botanic Garden playgrounds.
- Book Zealandia night tours only for older children; daytime visits suit younger kids.
- Carry windproof layers for everyone, even in summer.
- Strollers struggle on steep suburbs; stay near the waterfront or CBD.
Day trips for families
- Cape Palliser and Putangirua Pinnacles (About 2 hours by car) — The southernmost point of the North Island has a red-and-white lighthouse reached by about 250 steps and a fur seal colony beside the road.
- Kāpiti Island (About 1 hour by car or train, then a short boat crossing) — One of New Zealand's oldest nature reserves, the predator-free island off the Kāpiti Coast is home to takahē, kākā, kererū and, at night, little spotted kiwi.
- Days Bay and Eastbourne (About 25 minutes by ferry) — Across the harbour, Days Bay has a sheltered beach, a café, kayak hire and bush walks, with the seaside village of Eastbourne a short walk along the coast.
When to go with children
The best months overall are December–March. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Wellington good for kids?
Wellington is easy with children: Te Papa is free and highly interactive, the cable car and Space Place are fun, and Zealandia, the zoo and the waterfront fill a few days. Steep streets and wind are the main challenges, so pack layers and use buses.
+What can kids do in Wellington?
Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington Cable Car, Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne, Wellington Zoo and Space Place at Carter Observatory.
+Where should families stay in Wellington?
Lambton Quay and CBD: The main shopping street, government buildings and the cable car terminal.